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James Duncan of The Nature Conservancy of Canada

A posthumous award for a lifelong career dedicated to conservation and protection of ecologically significant landscapes across Ontario.

On January 15, 2018, the Nature Conservancy of Canada lost a true champion for conservation. James Duncan worked in many different capacities at NCC from Program Director to Associate Vice President to ultimately leading NCC’s efforts in Ontario as Regional Vice President for six years. He had a passion for large, complex land deals to protect spectacular natural places and this is where he excelled.James was involved in hundreds of land acquisitions, protecting many rare and special habitats including wetlands, forests, prairie and alvar.His wit, humour, knowledge and creativity were a winning combination for making friends and garnering support for NCC’s mission.

Some of his outstanding accomplishments included protecting over half of Cockburn Island (23,000 acres), the second largest protected area in southern Ontario (south of the Canadian Shield). Cockburn Island is the 7th largest island in the Great Lakes (42,350 acres), and is situated approximately 2.8 km west of Manitoulin Island and 2.6 km east of Drummond Island (Michigan).Under NCC’s ownership and management, the cobble and sand beaches, coastal wetlands and large tracts of highly productive sand plain forest will remain wilderness forever.

James was also instrumental in building relationships and support for NCC’s conservation work on Pelee Island.Located in the western basin of Lake Erie, Pelee Island is the most southerly inhabited land mass in Canada.It is located at the convergence of the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways and is critical stopover habitat for migratory birds. It also contains outcrops of limestone that support globally-rare alvar species. James led the securement of some key properties on Pelee Island that resulted in the protection of over 1000 acres (about 10% of the island), including three core alvars and natural shoreline.Some farmland was acquired that NCC is now restoring back to natural habitat, including open water and wetlands that are used by waterfowl and shorebirds.

James also loved the north shore of Lake Superior.He had his eye on conserving some large shoreline and wetland properties for close to 15 years.Under James’ leadership, NCC’s work ramped up in the mid 2000s.Specific projects of note include the purchase of the 4725-acre Wilson Island archipelago (2008), and the purchase of Big Trout Bay (2016), consisting of 2,540 acres just west of Thunder Bay on Lake Superior. With 21 kilometres of pristine shoreline, including stretches of open bedrock and cobble beach, Big Trout Bay is composed largely of coastal boreal forest and wetland. Nearly half of Canada’s bird species, including many waterfowl, rely on boreal habitat to complete their life cycle, and many of these species migrate throughout the Americas. These successful projects generated support and momentum, which has enabled the securement of additional large-scale projects such as at Black Bay east of Thunder Bay where NCC has secured over 7800 acres, including portions of the largest wetland complex on the north shore of Lake Superior.

James’ passion for conservation is contagious and was instilled deeply in his team who continue to work every day to fulfill his vision of protected land in Ontario. His appetite for large acreages, ambitious fundraising campaigns, and conserving tracts of land where threat and biodiversity values are the highest, will be carried on through the work of those who succeed him. He continues to be an inspiration to everyone who had the opportunity to work with him throughout his incredible career in conservation. His legacy will live on through both the lands and people he touched during his too short life.

Alberta is consulting on a proposal for Bighorn Country that would conserve natural landscapes while boosting economic development, tourism and recreation.

Premier Notley and Minister Phillips announce consultation plans for Bighorn Country at the Van Vliet Complex on the University of Alberta campus.

Located between Banff and Jasper national parks, Bighorn Country includes the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River that provide clean drinking water to more than one million Albertans. Its rugged terrain, scenic vistas and array of rare plants and wildlife make it a popular recreation and tourism destination.

In the spirit of Kananaskis Country, the province is proposing a mix of parks and public lands that would preserve natural landscapes while supporting a wide range of world-class tourism and recreation opportunities. Albertans are invited to review the proposal and provide feedback by Jan. 31.

“Forty years ago, Premier Peter Lougheed created Kananaskis Country due to increased pressures on the eastern slopes. Now, Kananaskis provides amazing experiences and opportunities, showing that investments in Alberta today mean our children and grandchildren will have wild spaces to enjoy in the future. We are asking all Albertans to help us create a place for everyone.”

Rachel Notley, Premier

“This mix of parks, recreation areas and public land-use zones has the potential to be the greatest tourism development opportunity the area has ever seen. We know how much Albertans value nature and time spent outdoors. This proposal will create new jobs, enhance mountain recreation and preserve the wilds of the Bighorn backcountry for generations to come.”

Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks

To ensure the right balance of Indigenous, economic, environmental and social values and goals, all interested parties can provide input on the future of the Bighorn Country through an online survey available from Nov. 23, 2018 to Jan. 31, 2019.

New land designations in Bighorn Country would better protect headwaters and biodiversity, support continued traditional land-use by Indigenous Peoples, and provide high-quality outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism opportunities.

The proposal supports all current recreation activities (such as camping, hunting, hiking, fishing, climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding and off-highway vehicle use) that have been enjoyed by local user groups for years, and would ensure these activities continue for generations to come.

“I take my Outdoor Education students to the Bighorn area every year. Through activities like camping, hiking, paddling and rock-climbing, these young Albertans develop their knowledge, skills and positive attitudes while connecting with their peers and their environment. By appreciating the natural beauty of the Bighorn, our students recognize the importance of environmental conservation and strong recreation opportunities for future generations. I want to thank the government for announcing this consultation and highlighting how important this area is to our province.”

Gord Thorpe, Outdoor Education teacher, Londonderry School

“Preserving the Bighorn Country is a true gift to outdoor explorers who share a common love for the Rocky Mountains. Whether it’s hiking, backpacking, scrambling, mountaineering or rock-climbing, our members revere the Bighorn for its natural beauty and mountain experiences. This amazing place is a major source of drinking water, a home for wildlife and a quiet place for everyday people to soak it all in. We welcome the opportunity to provide feedback on this park proposal and for investments in new mountain experiences that excite the mind and challenge the body.”

Neil Bosch, president, Alpine Club of Canada

“Bighorn is one of Alberta’s last pristine wilderness spaces, treasured by nature lovers, campers and RV users alike. By setting aside this jewel and expanding camping areas with modern, electrified sites, more Alberta families will be able to go enjoy this space for generations, which supports Alberta businesses and the provincial economy. I’m thrilled to see this government invest in new recreation spaces, and the RVDA is eager to take part in the consultation.”

To conserve this landscape and manage growth of numerous activities in the area, the government is proposing new, expanded or amended parks, recreation areas and Public Land Use Zones.

Key proposals include

A proposed investment of $40 million over five years in operations and capital infrastructure.

Establishing the Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park to conserve nature and allow low-impact backcountry recreation experiences provided by both the public and private sector.

Creating three new provincial parks – The David Thompson Provincial Park, The North Saskatchewan River Provincial Park, and the Ya Ha Tinda Provincial Park – to offer front-country experiences that come with infrastructure investments such as campgrounds and staging areas for recreation activities like hiking, paddling, horseback riding, and more.

Expanding and designating Shunda Provincial Recreation Area to offer a range of public and private-sector nature-based tourism and recreation development and investment opportunities.

Amending the Kiska/Willson Public Land Use Zone and establishing a new West Country Public Land Use Zone east of the Bighorn that would continue to permit industrial development such as forestry and energy uses while supporting new and existing designated trails. Management planning in the new zone would be done with stakeholders over two years.

The refurbishment of 240 existing campsites and the construction of more than 150 new campsites. This would also include investment in parking lots, trails and staging areas.

Direct consultation with local off-highway vehicle organizations to engage on the investment model for sustainable trail development.

To find out more about the proposed Big Country Initiative and provide feedback online, please visit talkaep.alberta.ca.

Bighorn facts

The Bighorn region extends from Banff National Park eastward towards Drayton Valley. It includes Clearwater County and most of Brazeau County.

The region forms the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River and Red Deer River, which supply clean drinking water to over 1.5 million Albertans.

The Bighorn area encompasses beautiful mountain ranges, alpine lakes, foothills, massive river valleys and forests, which are home to numerous species at risk, including grizzly bears, harlequin ducks and bull trout.

The proposed designations represent significant economic opportunity for local communities in the region. For example, tourism and recreation in Kananaskis Country generates $141 million of Alberta’s GDP annually and supports more than 2,400 jobs.

The new and expanded parks and protected areas would add almost 400,000 hectares of protected land, increasing overall protection in Alberta from 14.6 per cent to 15.2 per cent.

The Bighorn Country proposal presents further opportunities for cooperative management with local First Nations and Metis peoples to ensure traditional activities, sacred sites and treaty rights are part of parks planning, and celebrated in the visitor experience.

Random camping would be supported through the creation of designated rustic camping spots with basic public safety and service amenities, as was done in the Castle area.

Existing designated trails for off-highway vehicles would be maintained in Bighorn Country, as they have been responsibly developed by many local user groups. The proposal also outlines opportunities for future investment in designated trail systems.

Existing grazing would be honoured throughout the Bighorn region.

There would be no impact on active industrial leases within the proposed Public Land Use Zones and no forestry tenure within the parks and protected areas is being proposed.

This year’s workshop will be hosted at the Hilton in Toronto, Ontario from October 1st to 5th providing you the opportunity to submerse yourself in Ontario’s capitol.

The workshop will consist of two full-day sessions on the Tuesday & Wednesday that first explores technical solutions to support landscape-scale conservation planning of protected area networks and secondly explores the rationale, methodologies, and outcomes of enhanced integration of social considerations in effective conservation planning for the establishment, network planning and management of protected areas.

These sessions will be followed up by another full-day on Thursday with an opportunity for participants to celebrate the history and past work of the CCEA and contribute to the development of the CCEA’s 2020-2030 Strategic Plan.

The workshop will showcase of a variety of presentations, technical demonstrations, breakout sessions and case studies so that both practitioners and members of academia will have experiences to takeaway.

CCEA members are invited to participate in the Annual General Meeting on the Monday afternoon.

On July 8, 2018, the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas was invited to deliver a presentation on protection standards for federal marine protected areas (MPAs) to The National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards. The National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards will offer guidance to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard on the development of protection standards for federal MPAs using the guidelines outlined by the International Union on the Conservation Nature (IUCN). On behalf of the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas, Dr. Christopher Lemieux and Jacques Perron discussed the need to ensure that the marine environment is being afforded appropriate levels of protection based on the best available science. More information about the panel can be found here: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/conservation/advisorypanel-comiteconseil-eng.html .

Press Release, May 22, 2018, Montréal. In conjunction with Budget 2018-2019, in which the Québec government announced unprecedented investments in the environment sector, $40.9 million in appropriations have been paid to the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MDDELCC) to ensure the efficient management and development of Québec’s network of protected areas.

News Release

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), a not-for-profit conservation organization, welcomes the contribution of nearly $1 million from the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques to its Ecological corridors: a climate change adaptation strategy project.

This amount comes from the Action-Climat Québec program, financed by the Fonds vert. From now until 2020, NCC and many regional and international partners will be educating communities about the ecological corridors that cross their region.

These corridors consist of land and water passages that connect territories to each other. These so-called “connectivity” areas allow animals to move and plants to disperse to meet their needs. NCC’s collaborative project aims to mobilize the population to safeguard these ecological corridors.

“The impact of climate change is putting increasing pressure on our ecosystems and all the species that comprise them. The project Ecological corridors: a climate change adaptation strategy by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Quebec engages the community in implementing solutions to preserve our rich natural heritage. This is one of the objectives of the Action-Climat Québec program, funded by the Fonds vert: for local communities to take action to implement climate change adaptation strategies to ensure a richer and greener future for us all,” stated Isabelle Melançon, Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change.

“Under the influence of climate change, it is estimated that species habitats in Quebec will shift north by about 45 kilometres per decade,” says Joël Bonin, associate vice-president of NCC in Quebec. “The province has the potential to become a climate refuge for many species, so it has the potential to play a key role on a continental scale in adapting to climate change.”

Connectivity between habitats is therefore essential to cope with these changes. Not only does it promote the survival of wild species, but it contributes to the well-being of the human population, for whom natural environments perform an infinite number of services.

Project implementation

The project is being deployed in five regions of Quebec (see map). To cultivate a common vision for connectivity in southern Quebec, NCC works with key organizations: Appalachian Corridor, Éco-corridors laurentiens, Nature-Action Québec, the Conseil régional de l’environnement du Centre-du-Québec, Horizon-Nature Bas-Saint-Laurent, Two Countries One Forest, and the Staying Connected Initiative. NCC also recognizes the contribution of the Woodcock Foundation, whose landscape conservation program focuses on maintaining connectivity between Canada and the United States.

“The Woodcock Foundation of New York and the Echo Foundation of Montreal are pleased to partner with the Government of Quebec’s Fonds vert to support the efforts of NCC and its partners to identify wildlife corridors that will become part of the green infrastructure vital to North America’s adaptation to climate change. We look forward to working with the Fond verts to secure this infrastructure as the next step for this initiative,” said Jeremy Guth, administrator at the Woodcock Foundation.

NCC is also collaborating with an advisory committee made up of experts from various governmental and non-governmental organizations, research institutions, national parks, other land managers (including municipal and forestry representatives, among others) and citizens.

Through its interventions, the project aims to bring about changes in behaviour and encourage communities to embrace the protection of natural corridors as a climate change adaptation solution. With this in mind, community activities will be held in the five connectivity zones in order to educate and involve the population, guide them in taking action, and seek solutions.

In order to maintain the corridors and promote their importance, the following three strategies are being adopted:

Encourage the various RCMs and municipalities to take advantage of their territorial planning tools;

Encourage forest owners and operators to use voluntary conservation or certification tools to preserve the corridors’ suitability for forestry;

Provide the targeted regions with a network of stakeholders who can maintain and enhance the corridors.

About Action-Climat Québec (Fonds vert)

The Action-Climat Québec program aims to mobilize the population in the fight against climate change. It supports social projects that encourage behavioural change and sustainable practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. Financed by the Fonds vert, Action-Climat Québec derives from priority 8 of the 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan.

About the Nature Conservancy of Canada

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is Canada’s leading not-for-profit private land conservation organization, working to protect our most important natural areas and the species they sustain. Since 1962, NCC has helped to protect 2.8 million acres (more than 1.1 million hectares) across the country, including 111,197 acres (45,000 hectares) in Quebec. It is by securing and protecting these natural environments that they can be made accessible to this generation and those to come.

The largest contiguous area of boreal protected land in the world has been established in northern Alberta.

The Government of Alberta partnered with The Government of Canada, the Tallcree First Nation, Syncrude and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) on the conservation of more than 6.7 million hectares (67,000 sq. km) of boreal forest.

The creation of the Kazan, Richardson and Birch River wildland provincial parks connects the federal government’s Wood Buffalo National Park to other existing wildland provincial parks.

The new and expanded wildland provincial parks are: Kazan, Richardson, Dillon River, Birch River and Birch Mountains. In total, these northern Alberta parks contribute more than 1.36 million hectares to the province’s protected area network.

This is the largest addition to the Alberta Parks system in its history, and will constitute the largest contiguous protected boreal forest in the world under the guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“Our government is committed to protecting our land, water and forests for future generations. Preserving these areas has allowed Alberta to establish the largest contiguous boreal protected area in the world. This historic achievement shows what can be accomplished when governments, First Nations, industry and environmental organizations work together.”

Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks

“The environment and the economy go together – that’s why our government is investing in protecting nature and wildlife habitat. It’s encouraging to see governments, Indigenous peoples, industry and conservation groups working together to protect this significant part of Alberta’s boreal forest as an important natural legacy for Albertans, Canadians, the world and future generations.”

Catherine McKenna, federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Identified in the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) in 2012, the new parks were fully reviewed to ensure there are no economic impacts on natural resource industries or communities. Industry tenures in the parks were compensated years ago, leaving the lands free for protection.

For the five new and expanded wildland provincial parks, the Government of Alberta proposes to enter into cooperative management arrangements with Indigenous communities. Indigenous advice and knowledge will inform decision-making and management of these lands and the province will provide resources to support this process.

“Our government is listening to the Indigenous peoples of Alberta who share a deep connection with this land. This opportunity for cooperative management will help to enrich and strengthen the planning, management and operation of Alberta’s provincial parks, while also implementing our commitment to reconciliation and our respect for Indigenous heritage and traditional knowledge.”

Richard Feehan, Minister of Indigenous Relations

“This collaboration between the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the governments of Canada and Alberta, and industry are aligned with the Tallcree Tribal Government’s values regarding the preservation of the boreal forest. The boreal forest holds greater value to the First Nation for exercising our traditional way of life and the quiet enjoyment of our treaty rights.”

Rupert Meneen, Chief, Tallcree First Nation

In addition, Alberta plans to integrate an Indigenous Guardian Program into these wildland provincial parks. Under this program, First Nations and Metis peoples will be hired to monitor the areas, help maintain the lands and provide education and outreach to park visitors.

“The new wildland provincial parks ensure Indigenous peoples have places to hunt and fish with their families for generations to come. The Government of Alberta’s commitment to work collaboratively with Indigenous communities to develop cooperative management plans provides a historic opportunity to have Indigenous knowledge and values influence land-use planning.”

Bill Loutitt, CEO, McMurray Metis

Treaty 8’s Tallcree First Nation, in cooperation with the NCC and the Alberta and federal governments and with support from Syncrude, generously relinquished their Birch River area timber licence and quota to enable one of the new parks (Birch River WPP) to proceed.

The Government of Alberta thanks the Tallcree First Nation for working with the government and the NCC to achieve this historic outcome. Alberta and the Tallcree First Nation have agreed to manage the Birch River WPP with mutual benefit toward conservation and economic opportunities.

“Canada’s boreal forest is unique in the world. The ecological value of this region cannot be overstated—this is a conservation achievement of global significance. Through partnership, we have been able to make a significant step forward in advancing meaningful conservation in Canada.”

John Lounds, president & CEO, Nature Conservancy of Canada

In addition, the environmental benefits created through the establishment of the Birch River WPP will provide conservation offsets that Syncrude can apply towards future industrial activities.

“Syncrude is proud to play a role in this remarkable initiative that provides both economic and environmental benefits for Albertans and Canadians. This agreement supports our commitment to responsible development of the oil sands resource while contributing to the conservation of the boreal forest for future generations.”

Doreen Cole, managing director, Syncrude Canada Ltd.

“Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac) extends our support and congratulates the Government of Alberta as it formalizes the creation of the world’s largest network of protected areas in Canada’s boreal forest. Al-Pac has long recognized the importance of conservation areas as an integral part of managing human activity in the boreal forest for the long-term benefit of both biodiversity and the economy. ”

Elston Dzus, forest ecologist, Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.

Establishing the wildland provincial parks (WPPs) will mean a protected area that is more than twice the size of Vancouver Island (32,000 sq. km), slightly smaller than the province of New Brunswick (72,908 sq. km), slightly bigger than the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia (64,000 sq. km), and 10 times the size of the Greater Toronto Area (7,124 sq. km).

Background

In 2010, the Lower Athabasca Regional Advisory Council, consisting of representatives from municipalities, industry, First Nations, and environmental non-governmental organizations, recommended that the Government of Alberta establish the Kazan, Dillon River and Richardson WPPs and expand the existing Birch Mountains WPP.

In 2012, the Government of Alberta completed the Lower Athabasca Region Plan (LARP), establishing the Birch River Conservation Area in a section of the A9 forestry management unit (FMU). While the oil sand agreements in the area were cancelled, forestry was permitted.

Between 2012 and 2016, the Government of Alberta spent $45 million to purchase oil sands and metallic mineral leases in the identified conservation areas.

In March 2018, the Government of Alberta, the NCC, the Tallcree First Nation, and Syncrude signed a Memorandum of Understanding that would see the Tallcree First Nation relinquish its timber licence and quota in the A9 FMU to the Government of Alberta.

By Tallcree First Nation voluntarily relinquishing its timber licence and quota, commercial forestry will no longer take place in Birch River WPP.

The establishment of the Kazan (570,822 hectares of new land for a total of 659,397 hectares), Richardson (264,727 hectares of new land for total of 312,068 hectares), Dillon River (191,545 hectares) and Birch River (331,832 hectares) WPPs, and the expansion of the Birch Mountains WPP (by an additional 1,563 hectares) create 1,360,390 hectares of new protected land.

Birch Mountains WPP is already designated and is now 145,969 hectares in size.

Media inquiries

Taking care of our environment has never been more important than it is today. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is looking to fill the role of Weston Family Senior Scientist to join a team committed to protecting our most important natural areas and the plants and animals they sustain.

The Weston Family Senior Scientist (WFSS) will develop and lead an integrated program of scientific research, thought leadership and outreach, and conservation planning and information that is strategically aligned with the NCC’s mission and conservation work. Please could you circulate the job posting to anyone who you think may be interested in joining NCC.

About the CCEA

The Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) was incorporated in 1982 as a national, non-profit organization with a mission “to facilitate and assist Canadians with the establishment and management of a comprehensive network of protected areas representative of Canada’s terrestrial and aquatic ecological natural diversity”. It became a registered, charitable organization in 1995.”